Cycle30 Cracks M2M Market
The Seattle-based BSS/OSS firm has been leveraging its telecom roots to peddle an "order to cash" approach that handles order management, activation and provisioning, billing and rating, and customer service as well to Tier 2 and smaller telcos and cable companies.
Along the way, the notion of service in the M2M space, particularly utilities and the smart grid market, evolved as a natural match for Cycle30's ability to handle massive amounts of data.
"All the things that have applied in the telecom world, apply here," says Jim Dunlap, CEO of Cycle30. Many of the companies that are looking at the M2M market have not had to deal with large quantities of real-time data, which is inherent in Cycle30's systems.
For Cycle30, landing a Fortune 200 company such as Arrow, which provides components and computing technologies to enterprises, is an instant credibility boost in a key market.
Why this matters M2M is a key market for the entire telecom sector, and the ability to manage the volume of transactions it is expected to generate and to accurately bill for them will be gating factors to its success. If companies such as Cycle30 are able to automate those processes, the rollout of M2M services for the smart grid, but also for much more, will be greatly enhanced.
For more Here's a look at previous Cycle30 coverage:
— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading
I think outsourcing is just as important as automating for the majority of M2M operations. The margins for many 'simple' M2M businesses (repeat, occasional transactions) will be so razor thin that any chance to outsource the management of the back office will likely be jumped at.
Cycle30 has a decent proposition here, but I imagine it won't be long before others are offering something similar - it could be that the lieks of Ericsson, ALcatel-Lucent and NSN could offer this sort of service as part of their professional services packages.